During this season of Lent we will be considering a question which may give us some enlightenment and encouragement as the people of God. The question is, "Has the human situation really changed?" The question is not whether it has changed in our lifetime; I wonder if it has changed at all. If it has, how has it changed since the beginning of humanity? Is Genesis still a relevant book for considering the human condition? Do the prophets of old have anything to say to us?

Let’s look at what the prophet Joel has to say to the people to whom his words were first addressed. Let’s see if there is some word of wisdom and challenge for us.

The occasion for this prophecy of Joel was a plague of locusts, an unprecedented attack, which destroyed all the food in the land. With the loss of food, all…